Children's home run by PIC Children’s Services in St. Helens

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 1 SC022440

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PIC Children’s Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home, registered to provide care and accommodation for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. The post has been vacant since June 2020.

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This monitoring visit

During a monitoring visit on 2 February 2021, Ofsted identified significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice, the leadership and management of the home and within the organisation. As a result of these shortfalls, four compliance notices were issued, under regulation 10, the health and well-being standard, regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 26, fitness of the registered provider.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken on 23 March 2021 to monitor compliance with these notices. At this visit, Ofsted found that the provider had failed to take sufficient action to demonstrate that they had met these notices.

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This monitoring visit

The provider could not demonstrate that they have met the compliance notice under regulation 10, the health and well-being standard. The provider has failed to address all aspects of the child’s health. For example, the child’s health plan states that direct work is to be undertaken with the child to help him understand the effects of cannabis misuse and smoking. Staff have not yet started this work with the child. The provider has now obtained a copy of the child’s previous health assessment and this information is now included in the child’s health plan.

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This monitoring visit

All staff have not yet received training in alcohol and drug misuse, despite this being a known risk for the child. This does not demonstrate that all staff are skilled and trained in how to reduce risks to the child’s health. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 2 The risk management plans in place are ineffective because the strategies do not reduce risk to the child and have not been reviewed or amended to achieve this. For example, staff discovered that the child was in another city, visiting a friend that they have concerns about. Records of this incident do not demonstrate that staff followed the child’s plan to ensure his safety. Furthermore, on another occasion, the child had contact with his father. Staff did not take steps to prevent this, despite knowing that all contact with the father must be supervised as agreed with the child’s social worker, due to known serious safeguarding concerns.

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This monitoring visit

The home has not had a registered manager since June 2020. The current manager, who is in day-to-day charge of the home, has made the decision to step down from the post and will not be applying to register. Furthermore, the responsible individual has not had effective oversight of the home.

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This monitoring visit

At this visit, the inspector found that the management team continues to fail to lead and manage the home in a manner that is consistent with the aims outlined in the statement of purpose and they do not have effective oversight of the home. Furthermore, the systems to monitor and provide an overview of incidents at the home are ineffective and, therefore, fail to improve services for children.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers cannot demonstrate that they have implemented effective monitoring systems to improve standards of care for children. For example, since the previous monitoring visit, one child has moved out of the home and one child has moved in. The second child is exposed to similar risks as the first child. The provider cannot demonstrate that they have reflected on the experiences of the first child or learned any lessons from caring for that child to improve their practice and standards of care for children.

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This monitoring visit

The provider cannot demonstrate that the staff team can sufficiently meet the needs of this child, and that they have the skills, knowledge and experience to meet children’s needs generally.

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This monitoring visit

It is Ofsted’s view that the provider has not met any of the four compliance notices served in February 2021. Therefore, the same compliance notices will be issued under regulation 10, the health and well-being standard, regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 26, fitness of registered provider. A further monitoring visit will take place to monitor compliance with these notices. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/03/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ix)) 12 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

* The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 12 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

* The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 12 May 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

* The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 12 May 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

* An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (7)(b)) 12 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 12 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which 12 May 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 7 the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which —

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 12 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside WA11 0TW

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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC022440 9 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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